Cle Elum River

The valley of the upper Cle Elum River

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

The Cle Elum River is a river in Kittitas County in the U.S. state of Washington. The 45- km long river rises on the eastern slope of Mount Daniel in the Cascade Range and flows through the Wenatchee National Forest. At the upper reaches it flows through first two small lakes - Hyas Lake and the smaller Lake Tucquala. On the way to the south of the Cle Elum River receives numerous streams from side valleys, the two most important are Waptus River and Cooper River. After about 36 km the river reaches the large Cle Elum Lake. After leaving the lake, it flows a few kilometers parallel to the Yakima River, initially separated from the valley by a range of hills ( Easton Ridge ), in south-eastern direction, and finally joins up with the City of Cle Elum in the Yakima River, which in turn flows into the Columbia River.

The river's name comes from the language of the Yakama and means fast water. The headwaters of the river is a popular whitewater area for rafting and kayaking.